Scorched Sentiment
by Astral Thatcher
Summary: Riley returns to the town of her parents' death to come to terms with her past. But returning has only seemed to call upon new demons. It was her plan to find him - the one who had saved her life - but will she be glad she did? RESTART OF "THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES." Rated T for language and safety. Vanitas/OC


Restart of _Through the Fire and Flames_. I reread it, and – long story-short – decided that it didn't make much sense and was all over the place. Seen as it was started about two years ago, and seen as how my writing style has long since changed, I didn't want to just continue from where I left off. (So much for "long story-short, huh?) So here it is: the new – and hopefully improved – story of Riley Ennes! Sorry for the amount of dialogue in this chapter. Future chapters (hopefully) won't contain this much.

* * *

Prologue - Heroes

_Five years prior…_

Summer break, and at last I would be forever rid of the hell forced upon me known as elementary school. Summer break, and my parents wouldn't be distracted with work. Summer break, and they announced that we would be spending the first portion of it at Destiny Island beaches, the most beautiful place my eleven-year-old mind could fathom! Already packed and ready to go the day after school released me, I stood by the door, ready to leave, my parents chuckling at the sight of me, and my Moogle plushie's head falling limply over the arm that I had cradled it with. They crushed my dreams as the words fell out of their mouths: we wouldn't be leaving for another week. After a slight tantrum with a permanent pout plastered to my face, I remember tromping to my room to sulk. I had spent the remainder of the afternoon hidden away. Unable to sleep that night, I decided that – with or without my parents – I would get to the islands within the week. Still clutching my Moogle, I crept to the front door. Go figure, with the excitement of the destination lingering, silly little me had forgotten all about the alarm. It wailed as the door inched open, a scream escaping from me. Seconds later, my parents –with ruffled hair and rumpled pajamas – burst into the room ready to attack the intruder. However, all they found was me, crouched in a corner, strangling my plushie in the crook of my arm as I tried to protect my ears from the blaring siren.

My second attempt was closer, and held much more humor for me than the first – then again, the feeling of going deaf wasn't hard to outmatch when it came to fun. It was the morning after my failed escape, and I snuck into my parents' room. As they snored lightly, I crawled onto their bed without their notice, and crossing my legs, faced them. After a moment, I poked each of their legs, rousing them from slumber. They were barely coherent when I told them that they had slept in an entire week – I added in an "I was scared you guys would never wake up" for effect – and that the time for our departure to the islands had arrived. The far stretch had the desired result. Still half-asleep, they hurdled from the bed, beginning to scramble to find clothes and toiletries and soaps and everything they'd need for the trip – everything they were going to pack the night before had they not "slept in." I sat on the bed, watching them stagger around the room, smiling to myself. Only when my father became more aware of what was going did I realize my plan wouldn't have lasted for very long. He had seen the date displayed by the digital clock hanging in their bedroom. I'm sure a feeling of foolishness washed over them, while I trudged to my room, defeated, before they could say a word.

I realize how silly it had all been; not only my attempts, but my impatience. If I hadn't prompted them to go early, it never would have happened. Had I known what would unfold in a matter of days, I probably would have chosen to never go. Within the hour of my second failed effort, my parents entered my room, and informed me of a change of plans. We would be leaving the day after the next. No matter how I tried, my lips did not cover my teeth for the remainder of the day.

To this day I can't fully remember the events that took place leading up to my godfather coming to pick me up from the hospital. I sometimes get flashes of things that I saw, or maybe I had imagined some of it. There was no way of knowing for certain, and I wasn't about to try to relive that moment to figure it out. It was horrible enough the first time through. Echoes of shouts still clattered inside me, numbing me to my core. But I don't remember much of what they were yelling about. In hindsight, I suppose it would be obvious, but I've always been more oblivious than I'd like to think. All I could focus on at the time were my parents, panicked and trying to wake me up enough to get me running out of our hotel room's door with them. I stumbled a lot, and they slowed down to keep pace with me, my mother holding my hand the entire time. Anytime I had asked what was happening they would only tell me to keep running. I complied, but I was growing weaker with each step, getting hotter the closer we got to the exit. Why? I didn't have my answer until my father threw open a door to a stairwell, only to discover it was engulfed in flames.

With renewed energy that came with realization, I tugged on their hands telling them to follow me. I knew where the elevator was. Standing in front of the doors they quickly told me that we couldn't go that way, and my father began searching for a new exit. Mother spotted one at the end of the hallway and we raced toward it. Halfway there, I heard a grinding noise, and not knowing what it was, kept running forward, my lungs begging me to find some fresh air. I was suddenly pushed forward as the grinding turned to crackling and the sound of a heavy object landing could be heard, a flurry of ash rising into the air. I looked around me, rolling onto my hip after falling from the force of the shove, striving to find my parents. The beam that had fallen was in flames, and – to my dismay – separating me from them. I tried to make my way back to them, tried to find a way around it, but all I could hear were there voices desperately calling out to me. With a shaky, hoarse voice I told them that I was okay. They told me that I had to be strong, that everything would be okay, but first I had to get to the stairs and make it outside. I violently shook my head as I yelled back that I didn't want to go alone. "You have to. Do this for mommy and daddy, okay? You'll be fine." I did as they had instructed.

I had made it to the ground floor – our room having been on the third – only to find that the exit from the stairwell was blocked by a wall of fire. Distressed, I stumbled up the staircase back to the second, making my way out to find another set of stairs. Wandering down the hall, hurriedly but definitely lost, I ran in circles, my time ticking away with each step. I couldn't hear anything anymore except for the gentle roaring of the fire as it danced around me, gnawing away at the once beautiful hotel. I was so focused on getting out that I hadn't heard the same grinding sound that I had on the floor my parents were trapped on. Before I had registered what had happened, I was pinned to the floor, a beam resting along my lower back. Horrified, I looked back at it to the best of my ability from the position on my stomach, only to find flames licking up the wood toward me.

The very next thing I can remember is calling out franticly, hoping someone would hear me. The only thing I could process after that was hearing footsteps approaching, and with one last burst of energy as fire clawed at my back I cried for help again. Moments later, I was half-conscious being carried piggy-back by someone. I couldn't make out any features in my state but I wish I had. He had saved my life. I would never forget it, but I would never know who to thank. His wrists were locked behind my knees, holding my dead weight. I tried shifting but whoever it was muttered a swift "don't move" in a tone that caused me to assume I was only making the situation worse. I soon lost consciousness.

I regained it moments later when we had finally made it outside. Flashes of blue and red were all I could make out as I was carried closer to them. Indiscernible shouts met my ears as I was taken from the back of my rescuer. Coming more to my senses, images cleared as I searched for him. I was placed on the back of one of two ambulances facing away from each other; my feet dangled over the edge while the boy – boy? – who had saved me was lead to the other. Indeed, the one who had saved me wasn't much taller than I was. I was silhouetted against the burning building, so I couldn't make out any of his features apart from a head of dark, spiky hair.

He was being fussed over buy the medical response team – nowhere near as much as I was, mind – holding out his left hand for them to diagnose the burn marks. I wondered how he had gotten them before reasoning that he must have had to remove the beam from me somehow. _Was he able to lift it? _I wondered. I decided that it would have been impossible. But then, how _had _he gotten me out of there?

My mind was swimming with confusion. In all of the mess I had lost track of my parents. I was beginning to wonder where they were just as the building collapsed in on itself. It wasn't until later that I was told that they hadn't made it out.

Chapter One - Change

_Present day…_

Inserting the last drawer into the wardrobe, I sighed, content. At last, all of the furniture was moved into my new apartment. "Well, kid, is that the last of the big stuff?" my godfather asked, rubbing his lower back with both hands. _Oh, c'mon, _I thought, _you're not _that _old. _

"Yep!" I bounced enthusiastically as I spoke, nodding. He sighed with relief, running a hand through his charcoal hair, and placing his free hand on his hip.

"I still can't believe you'll be living here all by yourself. When'd you grow up?" He mocked over-dramatic sentimentality. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his antics. "I guess there's nothing for it. You'll just have to come move in with me."

"We just got all this crap moved in here!" I practically screamed.

He chuckled, "Fine, I'll just live here."

"Aha, you're funny," I stated with disdain.

"It's a gift." He shrugged. "C'mon. Let's start hauling in boxes."

I sputtered. "But, Zack we just got finished with the- wha- why-?" Throwing myself, face-first into the mattress, I groaned. "Can we not and say we did?" I asked, my voice muffled by the quilted top. "I'm guilt-free if I call it a day here."

"Oh, no you don't! We're not gonna leave it in the moving truck and pay the rent for it overnight just because you decide to be lazy!" He grabbed the back of my t-shirt, forcing me to get to my feet. Another groan escaped me as I was dragged backward through my new living area.

"I'm not lazy! I just don't want to do this today."

"Then because you decide to procrastinate. Either way, we are getting this done today!" I crossed my arms, pouting, still walking backwards through the hallway. "Riley, watch where you're go-" I turned in exasperation before he could finish his sentence. Perfect timing… Released from his grip, I sat on the floor, rubbing my forehead and nose. Thanks to my godfather, I had run into a metal doorframe. I heard the snickering that was soon followed by laughter.

"What are you laughing about? Now that I'm incapacitated, you get to do the rest of the work yourself!"

"You…" he began between breaths," you were… already incapacitated before… we started. Whether you know it or not!" I glared up at him, but couldn't help but laugh at myself. Still nursing the oncoming headache – after double-checking that my nose wasn't bleeding – I rose from the floor and we continued outside to the truck. The light of the sun bore down on me as I squinted into its light.

"Why are you always so mean to me?" I whined.

"Because you make it so easy," he stated simply. I thought about it for a moment and shrugged. He was probably right. I had always been pretty clumsy, after all, and I was constantly reminded of how amusing I was to watch because of it. And, of course, it was my godfather, Zack Fair, doing most of the reminding. I could usually get a good laugh out of him unless I was genuinely injured or if he's just in _that_bad of a mood – which is a very rare occasion.

As my guardian climbed up the back of the truck, I heard someone call his name. "Uncle Zack!" I turned to see a girl with cropped, raven-black hair jogging up the street toward us, and Zack poked his head back out from the vehicle. This girl piqued my interest. She wore white shorts with sheer black thigh-high stockings, a grey lacey tank top and a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up. I figured it was more for covering skin purposes than for warmth.

"Hey, Xion!" Zack called back as she reached us. "Would you mind helping us with some of these boxes?"

"What, I don't even get to meet her before you put me to work?" she asked, indicating toward me. "Rude! You need to learn some manners, Uncy Zacky!" The girl teasingly wagged her finger at him, placing her other hand on her hip.

"Oh, right. You two are so alike sometimes, I forget you haven't met. Wait, did you call me-?"

"I'm Riley Ennes," I told her, interrupting the man.

"Heya! I'm Xion." She wore a friendly smile.

"And I'm ignored," Zack complained. "Great, you two have met. Now let's go." He shoved boxes into both of our arms and turned back to the truck to grab his own. We both chuckled at his impatience. "C'mon, c'mon!" he shouted, realizing we hadn't moved by the time he had turned back around. "I thought you wanted to get this done, Ri."

"Um, wrong. I wanted to quit for the day. You're the one who was all 'you must do dis nao!'" Xion giggled at my imitation of him, but he just pushed past us to the entrance, feigning irritability.

"Well, let me be the first to welcome you to Twilight Town, Riley," Xion said while trying to get a better grip on the box.

"I'm afraid I've beat you to it, Xi," Zack mentioned from in front of us.

"Okay, then the first welcome that matters!" As we approached the door to my small portion of the floor, I set down the box. Zack was fumbling, box in hand, with the handle. "Why can't I get this to open?" he wondered aloud.

Shaking my head, I pulled the key from my pocket, and motioned for him to move out of the way. He obliged and I inserted the key into the lock. Sure enough, the tumblers shifted when I turned it clockwise. "Maybe – and this could just be a guess – because it was locked?"

His eyes darted back and forth from my face, the door, and the key I held. I couldn't help but smile when Xion's cheeks puffed out in an attempt to keep from laughing at the look on his face, and dropping the box. "Well how did it get locked in the first place? I seem to recall that you were walking at a constant rate behind me before you fell on your ass."

"There are two locks," I told him, pointing them out. "The top one stops the door from being moved at all, while you can still open it from the inside if the bottom one is locked."

"So when was the second one locked?" he questioned, eyeing me.

I rolled back and forth on my heels innocently. "I may have done that the last time I went in, just waiting for something like this to happen." I stuck my tongue out at him as he glared. Picking up the box I was carrying once more, I entered my accommodation after letting Zack and Xion go first.

"Any specific place for this?" Xion asked about the box

"I think that box just has clothes, so if you could take them to the bedroom, that'd be great." She nodded and did what I asked. It took all of five minutes to finish bringing them in, and of course, I didn't hear the end of it from Zack with his constant "and you wanted to quit; five minutes – really…" I ignored him and began opening boxes. Soon after, however, I gave up that endeavor, deciding that unpacking could wait until later in the week.

"But you just started," Zack pointed out.

"I realize that, but I would like to explore the town some so that I have _some _idea of where I'm going."

"The best way to find your way around is to get lost."

"I could show you around," Xion piped up. "I can invite some other people too so that you'll know some people at school. You are going to Twin Destinies High, right?" I nodded. "Great! I'll see who's available. You sure you can put up with me for the rest of the day?"

"Be careful what you say here, Riley," Zack commented. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Well, if Zack thinks it's a bad idea, then I'm definitely up for it."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Anyway, while you two wreak havoc on the town, I'm going go home and get settled there."

"Okay, Uncle Zack. I'll see when I get home." Turning back to me Xion pulled out her phone. "Lemme just text a few people and see who's free. We may end up going by ourselves. Since it's the last day of summer break and all, everyone may already have plans." I nodded in understanding. I didn't blame them. Moving wasn't high on my list of things to do on the last free day before school, so I could imagine showing the new kid around wouldn't be that much fun either.

To Xion's pleasure, two more people were able to join us. I was told their names were Naminé and Roxas. We waited outside for them, after I had decided that my apartment wasn't yet presentable. They arrived in less than fifteen minutes, and I was introduced to a small blonde girl and a boy with spiky, blonde hair. They both had the same blue eyes as Xion.

"Riley, I'd like you to meet my cousins: Naminé, my Uncle Ansem's daughter, and Roxas, my Uncle Balthier's son. Oh, and fair warning; if you ever meet our family – even just the immediate – it's _huge_."

"I'll keep that in mind," I told her, waving to her cousins.

"Hello," Naminé greeted shyly. Roxas muttered a quick "hey" in my direction.

"So, the question is, where do you all want to go first?" Xion questioned.

"Where haven't you been, yet, Riley?" the blonde male asked.

"Might be easier to ask where I _have _been; only the train station and…well, from there to here I guess."

Visibly, his shoulders sagged. "We've got a lot of ground to cover…"

"All the more reason to get going!" For whatever reason, Xion seemed very excited.

"We should start with the shops!" Naminé suggested. "It's still fairly early, so we might as well start with the basic attractions of the town, right?"

"Perfect!" And with that Xion lead the way. Within the first hour of just window shopping, the three of them were all over the place, especially the girls. They managed to run up ahead of Roxas and me on numerous occasions, but would always call back, goading us to scurry up behind, only for them to notice something else and scamper off again. Roxas continued on about how ridiculous it was getting. "But I guess it just comes with getting a new face in this town."

"It's that rare, huh?"

"Yeah. We get tourists, but they're here just to come to Destiny Island during the summer, mostly. So having someone _move _here- Well, everyone considers it a privilege to be the first to know the new person."

"Heh. Just wait until they actually meet me. They'll change their minds pretty quick," I said with a giggle. This earned a chuckle from him before we were – yet again – urged to catch up to the girls, bounding about like skittish rabbits.

"Riley! C'mon!" Xion exclaimed from a fair distance away. "How are we supposed to show you around if you can't keep up?"

"How are you supposed to show me around if you don't slow down long enough for me to look?" I countered.

"Oh, whatever! If you stick with Roxas's pace, just make sure he doesn't get you lost!"

"Hey! I know my way around better than you do!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Race you to the sandlot!" Without another word Xion turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. "Hey! No head-starts! That's not fair! XION!" the blonde called after her as he made a dash to catch up to her. Not wanting to be left behind, I ran after them, Naminé having joined in the race as well. The raven-haired girl was still in the lead, with Roxas doing a decent job of catching up.

We flew past buildings, the sound of our rushing feet echoing off of their walls. It was in a square that at last we stopped – the race having been a tie between Roxas and Xion. The four of us rested our hands on our knees as we panted. While the others recovered, I looked around. On the north building hung a banner with the word "Struggle" splayed across it. On either side of that, there were two pathways – one of which, I noticed, was the one we had come from. A third path was at the southwest corner, but it seemed to lead away from the main part of the town.

"That leads to my friends' and my usual place to hang out," Roxas informed me, standing to his full height.

"An alleyway?" I asked, mildly shocked, humming with thought.

"Yeah, but most of the time, I drag him to the clock tower. As well as a certain someone else!" Xion sang, nudging Roxas' elbow.

"Xion…" he threatened in response. I could've sworn I almost saw a vein in his forehead burst as his cousin refused to drop the subject.

Naminé giggled, but I could tell that it wasn't an issue to press, so I turned my attention to the north building. "What's the banner about?" The dark-haired girl and light-pink-in-the-face boy quit their bickering long enough to considering an answer my question.

"It's a tournament we hold each year here," Naminé explained. "It's one of Twilight Town's main attractions, in fact; one of the main ways we get tourists aside from being the neighboring town to Destiny Islands. It's a series of matches to test the combatants' skill in melee fighting, whether you look at it as swordplay or piñata practice," she added with a chuckle.

"Hey!" Roxas exclaimed. "Just because we use bats doesn't make it any less like sword fighting!" He demonstrated a stabbing motion toward the blonde to emphasize his point, almost falling to the side in the process.

"As you've probably already guessed," Xion interjected, ignoring his antics, "Roxas is a very avid competitor."

"How about you, Xion?" Roxas pointed out. "If I remember, you nearly beat that poor kid to death when he had already resigned. You want to talk about piñata pract- OOMPH!" My eyes widened as Xion tackled Roxas to the dirt beneath them, beginning to wrestle, before a laugh erupted from my chest. To my side was Naminé, hesitant to laugh, but she did so anyway.

Once my fit had subsided – the two on the ground still grappling at each other – I turned to look at the banner again. "Actually, I wouldn't mind entering. Just to give it a shot; see how far I get."

"The sign-up is just over there," Naminé informed me, pointing somewhere to my left. Following her indication, I saw a chalkboard with a paper taped to it. Avoiding the mass of thrashing bodies on the dirt, ("Xion, stop fighting like a girl! Let go of my hair!") I made my way over to it. Taking up the pen that was attached to the board by a chain, I wrote my name in the next available space. I saw Roxas' and Xion's names in the second and third places, only beneath someone named Setzer. Turning back to Naminé, I waved to her after scanning the rest of the sheet. "Are you not signing up?" I called. She visibly shook her head, and apparently my yell had commanded some attention seen as the two on the ground had finished their wrestling match and were now looking at me.

"You signed up?" Xion asked, a grin breaking out over her face.

"Do you even know how to fight? The rules? Anything about Struggle?" Roxas bombarded me with questions.

"Well…no. But I thought it would be fun anyway."

"Maybe we can teach you!" Xion cried out. "The garage for the equipment is always open. And Roxas and I could always use more practice, too!"

"Right. Practice." Roxas seemed to resent the idea completely.

Xion chose to ignore him. "So what do you think, Riley?"

"Sounds like a plan," I told her with a smile.

* * *

Before we could decide to start my Struggle training, Naminé told us there was one more thing we needed to do before the day was over. "It's almost sunset," she had told us, three pairs of clueless eyes blinking back at her. "Twilight? The very thing this town was named for?" Her hints had no effect, especially on me. She sighed in exasperation before telling us we needed to visit the terrace before nightfall. Xion and Roxas immediately caught on with a shout of "That's right!" before my wrists were in their grasps and I was being hauled off in the direction of the train station. Any information I had asked for was withheld from me as I was forced onto a train. The ride wasn't silent; Xion wouldn't stop telling me how much she thought I would love it – whatever "it" was. She was careful not to let that slip. We arrived at Sunset Station, and I was given no time to investigate the new surroundings, seen as they were in a hurry to reach the terrace in time.

We reached the peak of the hill just as the sun began to sit on the horizon. The colors danced along the end of the sky, a series of pinks and oranges fading away into the night atmosphere. It was a fantastic view, and we stayed there until the sun's light had completely diminished. Any apprehension I felt before moving here completely faded with the light. I had no reason to be nervous; in the very least, I wouldn't be attending the school with no one to look for in my classes.

The scenery had helped to calm my nerves until I began to think about why I was there in the first place. I wanted to come to terms with my parents' death, to be okay with the fact that they were gone, and I was on my own. If I couldn't do that, then I would set a different goal for myself.

I would find the boy who had saved my life.


End file.
